The Cricket Thread

[TomPNE94]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand there goes Cook. Good ball to be fair but disappointing to get out to that pace.

 

[Saddlerrad]

So 25-2 again and a rut at the top of the order, who is going to put the Windies back in their place now? KP? Prior? Tredwell over Rashid just stinks of 'hold an end up' to keep things tight. Atherthon cricket as I'd call it.

 

[Bobbin']

Another year .... Another test .....

 

[Super_horns]

So Cook out cheaply again...

 

[TomPNE94]

Trott over Lyth is a fucking travesty tbh.

 

[Saddlerrad]

31-2 on a flat pitch after 15.3 overs.

I'll tell you right now. That right there is a stat that will be a constant problem for England in 2015. A very dull, soak the pressure up kind of top 5, but if the Aussies get into us and take wickets, which they have the pace and quality to do, then I can see us being 100 all out a few times this summer. There HAS to be some pace and momentum in the top 5, you just can't rely on us batting long enough, frequent enough, to bat with this 'style' (or lack of) and tempo. You have the same with the bowling attack. Pressure builders, go at 2 an over and force a mistake. Yes it works, yes it bowls opposition out, but when you have our top 5 batting line up too, there's no winning formula in there. An even remotely par Aussie/SA side would turn up here and wipe the floor with the Windies, 3-0.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Jesus H Christ.

That was the football equivalent of Tinpot Gary Ballance.

34-3.

 

[NiallQuinnDiscoPants]

start of a exciting, new & swashbuckling era in English cricket

Trott out for a 4 ball duck
Cook out for a scratchy 11

 

[JonBCFC]

Haha fuck off moores. Fuck off Whittaker. I hope to fucking God Vaughan gets this new role. Not saying he's going to save English cricket, but he will do a hell of a lot better than the clowns currently in charge.

 

[Super_horns]

Here comes the rain to save us!

 

[S2_Blade]

Poor start, hopefully middle order rescue things again !

 

[Saddlerrad]

49-3 at lunch. Diabolical would be a compliment.

1.96 run rate.

 

[.V.]

Vaughan on TMS has said we've been timid. Going on comments on here, that sounds about right to me.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Better tempo from Root and England since lunch. It couldn't have been much worse.

 

[TomPNE94]

Root and Bell are the best batsmen we have. Bell is boring though so I prefer Root.

 

[JonBCFC]

Yeah I like root, our best batsman at the moment I think. I hope stokes does well when he comes in too.

Oh, and buttler. Love buttler.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Much better since lunch, 121-3. Bell on 55. Root has introduced a much better tempo to the innings.

 

[JJH]

Root and Bell forming a partnership, before we go into the tail end.

Poor start - but these two are steadying the ship slowly but surely.

 

[Who Needs Mourinho]

Absolutely ridiculous to pick Trott and Tredwell.
After Trott comes back from his stress related illness England decide the best way to put him back into the side is as an opener, you couldn't write this shit.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Root and his slightly more aggressive mindset coming in seems to have pushed Bell on a little. I suspect Moores mentioned the tempo and scoring rate at the lunch break. That doesn't take away the fact that our top 3 are a currently 'found out' opening captain, a potentially mentally struggling number 3 who hasn't played international cricket since a break down and a negative number 3 who gets caught on his crease as frequently as KP got out to left arm spin. That's a problem and will remain so until 1 drops out for someone with a better scoring rate, who can strike some fear into the opposition.

England's second session then.

167-3 at tea with Bell 69 and Root 61 not out, 133 partnership.

 

[DarkSithLord]

248 for 4 now. Good recovery. Bell has a ton and Root falls for 83.

 

[Skinner]

Stokes playing very well

 

[Skinner]

Bell gone for 143. Good knock lad

 

[JJH]

Very good day that - a real tempo to the batting from Bell onwards, Stokes has played expedition ally well and is scoring at a quick place.

I know the foundations of Test Match Cricket are for the openers to build a base slowly and carefully and then the lower order to add to it in a quicker fashion, but it was good to see that when the openers had failed to do their duty, Bell and Root played fearlessly and gave some back to the bowlers, and stopped them from dominating the game and taking control of England.

In a good position now - add 150/200 tomorrow and get Jimmy and Broad firing them in.

 

[Who Needs Mourinho]

Stokes playing very well

good to see. making sure the morons making the decisions can't move him down to 8 when Ali returns.

 

[Saddlerrad]

Good turnaround after an all too familiar start. Root should take a lot of credit turning up with a better attitude as it seemed to push Bell on a little.

 

[NiallQuinnDiscoPants]

caught the last hour of play last night. thoroughly enjoyed seeing Stokes & Bell bat with a bit of freedom. We have an issue in the top 3. Too slow, predictable & laboured. When it works, it works well. But when it doesn't your 40-3 off 30 overs. We definitely need an opener to open with Cook who's a bit more aggressive, and then drop Trott back down to 3. Ballance looks as comfortable at the crease as Phil Tufnell right now.

 

[Who Needs Mourinho]

caught the last hour of play last night. thoroughly enjoyed seeing Stokes & Bell bat with a bit of freedom. We have an issue in the top 3. Too slow, predictable & laboured. When it works, it works well. But when it doesn't your 40-3 off 30 overs. We definitely need an opener to open with Cook who's a bit more aggressive, and then drop Trott back down to 3. Ballance looks as comfortable at the crease as Phil Tufnell right now.

If Ballance doesn't buck his ideas up I can see Trott being moved back down and Lyth coming in. I bloody well hope so anyway.

 

[lordofthepies]

So they didn't pick Tredwell in the World Cup when he should've played and now they play him the test team, which he should never be a millions miles near. Ever. Under any circumstance. He can barely get in the Kent team, who are one of the worst first class teams in the country and have been for ages. The selectors are bumbling idiots.

Great to see Trott back. I'd like to see him at 3 though, even if it means dropping or demoting Ballance for a while.

 

[Skinner]

I like Ballance and see him as a mainstay in this England side for years to come, but he needs to go and refind his mojo at county. Bringing him in unfit before the World Cup has completely demoralised and killed his game.